This photo has nothing to do with me but I just happened to run across it online for sale just now and couldn’t help myself from posting it. I know I can’t save every bit of history but this one has a name on it that may lead to a connection.
I put a larger version here for downloading.
The Montana seller states:
Vintage cabinet card from South Dakota. Name written in pencil is Martin Kraal.
Hickell, Beresford, S.Dak.
I suppose the name could be Martin Kural. Hard to tell. Date is unknown but probably 1900-1909s.
I noticed in the ancestry database a 1913 border crossing record at Buffalo for Martinios Kraal.
Could it be the same person I wonder…
According to my mother, these 1957 shots were taken at a Catholic place in the Irish Hills area of Michigan which is west of Detroit. So far I haven’t been able to pinpoint the spot. It could be St. Joseph’s shrine in Brooklyn, MI but I haven’t found any matching photos of these locations.
Statue of St. Joseph (?) with a wishing well in front. That’s my mother pregnant with my brother.
Another statue with flower beds in the shape of a cross.
This is also from 1957. I found a modern photo from St. Joseph’s shrine with a similar sculpture to this one but it’s definitely not the same. Of course they may have replaced it since concrete sculptures are certain to degrade over time. Based on that site, this may have been one of the sculptures created by Dionicio Rodriguez.
If you have any more clues for me, please leave a comment.
This photo shows my mother Annie Chachich with her old high school friend Doris Teufner and husband Joe Teufner. We were on a joint family vacation with the Teufners the summer of 1974. The family on the right are unknown. My mother doesn’t remember them, so we think they were other residents of the lakeside cabins that just happened to be there at the same time as we were. We made good enough friends with them such that they came out on the rented pontoon boat with us, probably to share the cost.
Lake and location are unknown but undoubtedly somewhere “up north” Michigan. Probably somewhere in the middle of the state rather then truly way up north. Below are a couple pictures of the lake and shore in case somebody recognizes the location. If you do recognize the place or people, please let me know.
This is from our 1975 family trip to Sault Ste. Marie, Canada. I believe this was taken at the Canadian Soo Locks observation area. The kid in the yellow shirt second to the left I think is Cindy Sandvik’s brother (assuming she had a brother). My brother has vivid memories of Cindy Sandvik (not pictured) because he has a small crush on her. So she was probably 18ish.
We were visiting them on our way to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. I’m not even sure how we knew the Sandviks. My understanding is that they are related to us somehow via my grandfather John Chuncich with links going back to Croatia. I don’t think I ever met them again after that day but my parents continued exchanging Christmas cards with them for many years.
The other people in the photo I know well. That’s me on the left, my sister Paula and my two cousins Paul & Robert.